It says Mozilla's new CEO, Brendan Eich, is an opponent of equal rights for gay couples and that OkCupid "would therefore prefer that our users not use Mozilla software" to access the site.

The statement adds: "Politics is normally not the business of a website, and we all know there's a lot more wrong with the world than misguided CEOs."

It says OkCupid has spent a decade "bringing people together", adding: "If individuals like Mr Eich had their way, then roughly 8% of the relationships we've worked too hard to bring about would be illegal.

"OkCupid is for creating love. Those who seek to deny love and instead force misery, shame, and frustration are our enemies, and we wish them nothing but failure."

In a statement Mozilla said: "Mozilla supports equality for all, including marriage equality for LGBT couples.

"No matter who you are or who you love, everyone deserves the same rights and to be treated equally.

"OkCupid never reached out to us to let us know of their intentions, nor to confirm facts."

In 2008 Mr Eich made a $1,000 (£600) donation to the campaign in support of California's Proposition 8, a voter-backed initiative in 2008 that banned same sex marriage in the state.

Three members of Mozilla's board resigned when he was promoted to CEO last week.

In a blog post following his appointment, Mr Eich said he wanted to "express my sorrow at having caused pain".